Verne Troyer
Vernon Jay "Verne" Troyer was a finalist on Celebrity Big Brother 6. Biography Troyer was born Vernon Jay Troyer in Sturgis, Michigan on January 1, 1969, the son of Reuben ("Junior"), a repair technician, and Susan Troyer, a factory worker. He had two older siblings named Devon and Deborah Schultz. He was only an infant when he was diagnosed with dwarfism. He stated in an interview on Reddit that his parents "never treated me any different than my other average-sized siblings. I used to have to carry wood, feed the cows and pigs and farm animals". Troyer was initially raised Amish, but his parents abandoned the faith when he was a child. During his childhood, Troyer spent much time visiting his Amish relatives in Centreville, Michigan. While both sides of his family had lived in the United States since the 1700s, his background was still entirely of German descent with an Amish family background; the Troyer family originates in Emmental, Bern, Switzerland. Troyer told the Guardian, "We grew up Amish, but my parents left the religion when I was a child. The Amish have lots of rules and my dad thought many people in the faith were hypocritical because they'd tell others not to do something and then do it themselves." He continued that he almost died as an infant when he was found unresponsive in his crib, quoted as, "As we were Amish, we only had a horse and buggy carriage to get to the hospital, but that wasn't going to be quick enough so we borrowed my aunt's car. My parents were told there was nothing that could be done and Dad whisked me away to another hospital, where I was put in an oxygen tent, and thankfully I recovered." He told Huffington Post of the incident: "My dad got home from work and he checked up on me, and I was all blue. He lifted up the blanket and my shirt, and my whole chest was caved in. They called it 'cradle death, and all you need is oxygen for a little while, but we were Amish at the time." Player History - Celebrity Big Brother 6 Nominations History Post Big Brother Hospitalization and death * In early April 2018, Troyer was admitted to a hospital after an incident at his home. He had previously been admitted to rehab to undergo treatment for alcoholism. He was also baptized by while surrounded by his family. On April 3, the page posted a statement that read, "Asking you to keep Verne in your thoughts and prayers. He's getting the best care possible and is resting comfortably. Appreciate the support from family, friends, and fans around the world. We will keep you updated here." * At the time of the hospitalization, TMZ reported, "...a friend of Verne's made the call around 7:30 PM, and described him as being extremely upset, drunk and suicidal. We're told cops and fire department paramedics responded, and Verne was transported to a hospital for possible alcohol poisoning." * On April 21, Troyer died at the hospital in Los Angeles, California at the age of 49. His death was announced by his family through his Instagram page, its statement referring to Troyer's battles over the years and saying his family was with him at the end. TMZ reported of Troyer's death: "We'd been told he was on some form of life support since being taken to the hospital earlier this month after cops got a report he was drunk and suicidal, and was treated for possible alcohol poisoning. He also struggled with alcoholism for years and had been to rehab many times." Troyer's family had not confirmed that account and no cause was immediately released, except that his family had released a lengthy statement, referring to depression and suicide. His death was reported as a possible suicide to the coroner, who found very high alcohol levels in his body, suggesting and later confirming alcohol poisoning as the cause. On April 30, Troyer's death certificate revealed that he was cremated and his remains were sent to his hometown in Michigan. Trivia * On April 22, one day after Troyer's death, Mike Myers paid tribute to his co-star, referring to him as a "beacon of positivity" and saying he hoped he was in a "better place." * On May 3, Myers paid another tribute to his co-star in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. He recalled working with Troyer positively and said he worked with Troyer for a long time, adding he was "a great comedian." Myers also said that Mini-Me was almost a prop and was later given more stuff to do. Myers recalled that Troyer was loved by so many that wherever he traveled, fans referenced the Mini-Me character. He explained that when he went to the White House during a state dinner for Justin Trudeau, President Barack Obama and later Trudeau greeted Myers and asked about "Mini-Me". Myers also mentioned that Troyer would travel to different countries for charity work. The Facebook post that announced his death asked for donations to his favorite charities in his name in lieu of sending flowers. References Category:Contestants Category:Males Category:Big Brother UK Contestants Category:Celebrity Big Brother UK Contestants Category:Season 6 (UK Celebrity) Contestants Category:4th Place Category:Deceased Contestants